African American and African Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. This major introduces students to the social cultural, historical and artistic dimensions of global African Diaspora and Black communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, Caribbean, Latin America and Pacific regions of the world. The instructors are creative, accessible and highly qualified, with specializations across a range of disciplines. Students are exposed to and trained to think critically about the conditions and demands of global societies. Students may choose to enrich their education studying for a summer, a quarter, or a year in Africa, or by studying for a quarter in the Caribbean. Majors and Minors are also encouraged to take advantage of relevant internship opportunities.

The Program. The purpose of this program is to give students a sense of the individual characteristics and common concerns of Black communities in Africa, the United States, and in the wider Diaspora. The African American emphasis includes courses on history, culture, and the impact of developments in politics and the economy on the social organization of Black people in the United States. The African Diaspora emphasis enables students to study the way Black communities outside Africa and the United States have dealt with questions of race and ethnicity. It also considers how they have defined their identity in the political arena as well as by using religion, theater and dance, literature and film. The African emphasis allows students to focus on Africa's recent history, social issues, and contemporary culture.

Career Alternatives. Students majoring in African American and African Studies gain knowledge and strong critical thinking and analytical skills, problem-solving skills and communication skills, all suited for advanced studies in the social sciences, law, education and professional schools. Graduates in the major have pursued careers in education, the private and public sectors, the non-profit sector, international development agencies and in human service. The interdisciplinary nature of African American and African Studies is excellent preparation for professions in community organizations such as the Urban League, NAACP and the Office of Economic Opportunity.

African-American Dance and Culture in the United States, Brazil and the Caribbean (Active)

4

AAS156

Language and Identity in Africa and the African Diaspora (Active)

4

AAS157

Literature and Society in South Africa (Active)

4

AAS160

African-American Folklore (Active)

4

AAS169

History of African American Television (Active)

4

AAS170

African-American Film and Video (Active)

4

AAS171

Black African and Black European Film and Video (Active)

4

AAS175A

Black Documentary: History and Theory (Active)

4

AAS175B

Black Documentary Practicum (Active)

4

AAS181

Hip Hop in Urban America (Active)

4

AAS182

Hip Hop Culture & Globalization (Active)

4

AAS185

Topics in African American Film (Active)

4

Choose one:

4

AAS111

Cultural Politics in Contemporary Africa (Active)

4

AAS123

Black Female Experience in Contemporary Society (Active)

4

AAS130

Education in the African-American Community (Active)

4

AAS133

The Black Family In America (Active)

4

AAS141

Psychology of the African American Experience (Active)

4

AAS145A

Black Social and Political Thought (Active)

4

AAS145B

Black Intellectuals (Active)

4

AAS156

Language and Identity in Africa and the African Diaspora (Active)

4

AAS162

Islam in Africa and the Americas (Active)

4

AAS163

African Religions in the Americas (Active)

4

AAS165

Afro-Christianity and the Black Church (Active)

4

AAS172

Diaspora and New Black Identities (Active)

4

AAS176

The Politics of Resources (Active)

4

AAS177

Politics of Life in Africa (Active)

4

A coordinated program of upper division courses, selected and approved in consultation with the major advisor and chosen to reflect the student's major emphasis.

24

Possible areas of emphasis include the following:

Creative arts in the black community worldwide, social and political trends in the global black community, African American society and culture, Africa, African Diasporas. These areas of emphasis are offered as guidelines for students in the major. They are not the only areas of emphasis that students may choose for the major.

Related Upper Division Courses

Units:0

The following courses are offered by faculty members in other disciplines and focus on African American studies, African diaspora studies, or African studies:

AMS156

Race, Culture and Society in the United States (Active)

4

ANT104N

Cultural Politics of the Environment (Active)

4

ANT139AN

Race, Class, Gender Systems (Active)

4

ANT140A

Cultures and Societies of West and Central Africa (Active)

4

ANT140B

Cultures and Societies of East and South Africa (Active)

4

AHI150

Arts of Subsaharan Africa (Active)

4

CRD151

Community Field Research: Theory and Analysis (Active)

5

CRD152

Community Development (Active)

4

CRD172

Social Inequality: Issues and Innovations (Active)

4

COM154

African Literature (Active)

4

COM165

Caribbean Literatures (Active)

4

ENL167

Twentieth-Century African American Poetry (Active)

4

ENL178

Topics in Nations, Regions, and Other Cultural Geographies (Active)

4

ENL179

Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (Active)

4

ENL181A

African American Literature to 1900 (Active)

4

ENL181B

African American Literature 1900-Present (Active)

4

HIS102O

Undergraduate Proseminar in History; Africa (Active)

5

HIS115A

History of West Africa (Active)

4

HIS115B

History of East Africa and the Indian Ocean (Active)

4

HIS115C

History of Southern Africa from Exploration to the Rainbow Nation (Active)

4

HIS115D

Postcolonial Africa (Active)

4

HIS116

African History: Special Themes (Active)

4

HIS177A

History of Black People and American Race Relations, 1450-1860 (Active)

4

HIS177B

History of Black People and American Race Relations, 1860-Present (Active)

4

HIS178B

Race In America, 1865-Present (Discontinued)

4

POL134

Africa and U.S. Foreign Policy (Active)

4

POL176

Racial Politics (Active)

4

SOC128

Interracial Interpersonal Dynamics (Active)

4

SOC129

Sociology of Black Experience in America (Active)

4

SOC130

Race Relations (Active)

4

SOC134

Sociology of Racial Ethnic Families (Active)

4

SOC137

African American Society and Culture 1790 to 1990 (Active)

4

SOC143A

Urban Society (Active)

4

SOC145A

Sociology of Third World Development (Active)

4

SOC145B

Gender and Rural Development in the Third World (Active)

4

DRA155A

African American Dance and Culture in the United States, Brazil and the Caribbean (Active)

African American and African Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. This major introduces students to the social cultural, historical and artistic dimensions of global African Diaspora and Black communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, Caribbean, Latin America and Pacific regions of the world. The instructors are creative, accessible and highly qualified, with specializations across a range of disciplines. Students are exposed to and trained to think critically about the conditions and demands of global societies. Students may choose to enrich their education studying for a summer, a quarter, or a year in Africa, or by studying for a quarter in the Caribbean. Majors and Minors are also encouraged to take advantage of relevant internship opportunities.

The Program. The purpose of this program is to give students a sense of the individual characteristics and common concerns of Black communities in Africa, the United States, and in the wider Diaspora. The African American emphasis includes courses on history, culture, and the impact of developments in politics and the economy on the social organization of Black people in the United States. The African Diaspora emphasis enables students to study the way Black communities outside Africa and the United States have dealt with questions of race and ethnicity. It also considers how they have defined their identity in the political arena as well as by using religion, theater and dance, literature and film. The African emphasis allows students to focus on Africa's recent history, social issues, and contemporary culture.

Career Alternatives. Students majoring in African American and African Studies gain knowledge and strong critical thinking and analytical skills, problem-solving skills and communication skills, all suited for advanced studies in the social sciences, law, education and professional schools. Graduates in the major have pursued careers in education, the private and public sectors, the non-profit sector, international development agencies and in human service. The interdisciplinary nature of African American and African Studies is excellent preparation for professions in community organizations such as the Urban League, NAACP and the Office of Economic Opportunity.

American History and Institutions. This University requirement can be satisfied by completion of African American Studies 10, 100; listed in University Requirements.

Note: Although a course may be listed more than once, such a course may satisfy only one requirement.

African American and African Studies

Units:24

Choose one:

4

AAS010

African-American Culture and Society (Active)

4

AAS012

Introduction to African Studies (Active)

4

AAS015

Introduction to African American Humanities (Active)

4

AAS017

Women in African Societies (Active)

4

AAS018

Introduction to Caribbean Studies (Active)

4

AAS080

Introduction to Black Politics (Active)

4

Select any five upper division courses offered in African American and African Studies, but not including AAS 154.

20

Total: 24

Courses in AAS:

AAS010—African-American Culture and Society(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Critical examination of the historical, political, social, and economic factors that have affected the development and status of African-American people in contemporary society.(Letter.)GE credit: ACGH, DD, SS, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS012—Introduction to African Studies(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Introduction to African Studies which will focus on the various disciplinary perspectives through which African society and culture are generally studied. A survey of methods, resources and conceptual tools for the study of Africa.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, SS, WC, WE.Effective: 2017 Fall Quarter.

AAS015—Introduction to African American Humanities(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Class size limited to 165 students.Introduction to the humanist tradition developed by writers, philosophers, and artists of African descent in the West. Attention also given to African sources, as well as European, Caribbean, Latin-American, and North American variations on this tradition.(Letter.)GE credit: ACGH, AH, DD.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Introduction to the contemporary culture, peoples, politics, and societies of the Caribbean. Topics include movements of people, goods and ideas across the Atlantic world and creative productions within the Caribbean.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, SS, WC.Effective: 2011 Fall Quarter.

Lecture—4 hour(s).Evolution of African-American dance, tracing its history and development from West and Central Africa to the United States. Investigates the social and cultural relevance of African American dance and its artistic merits through contributions from its choreographers and performers.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, VL.Effective: 2012 Spring Quarter.

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing or consent of instructor.Limited enrollment.Sociological and historical analysis of the experience, culture, and relations of and between groups considered racial and/or ethnic minorities in the United States.(Letter.)GE credit: ACGH, AH, DD.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS101—Introduction to Research in the Afro-American Community(4)Active

AAS107A—African Descent Communities and Culture in the Caribbean and Latin America(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing.Origin and development of African descent communities and cultures in the Caribbean, and Latin America. The similarities and differences among African descent communities and cultures in terms of religious practices, music, and national identity. (Letter.)GE credit: WC.Effective: 2011 Fall Quarter.

AAS107B—African Descent Communities and Culture in North America(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing.Study of the origin and development of African descent communities and cultures in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico. (Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, SS.Effective: 2017 Winter Quarter.

AAS107C—African Descent Communities and Culture in Asia(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Study of the origin and development of African Descent communities and cultures in Asia. (Letter.)GE credit: AH, SS, WC.Effective: 2015 Winter Quarter.

AAS107D—African Descent Communities and Cultures in Europe(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Study of the origin and development of African Descent communities and cultures in Europe. (Letter.)GE credit: AH, SS, WC.Effective: 2015 Spring Quarter.

AAS110—West African Social Organization(4)Active

Lecture—4 hour(s).Ecology, population, social and political organization, and culture of West Africa in the precolonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods.(Letter.)GE credit: SS, WC.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS111—Cultural Politics in Contemporary Africa(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 012; Or upper division standing.Themes and style of new cultural forms in Africa as displayed in art, music, film and writing, especially in regard to blending of indigenous and foreign influences. Social and political forces shaping contemporary cultural expression.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, SS, WC.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

Lecture—2 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s); Fieldwork—3 hour(s).Examination of the history of the education of African Americans in the United States. Examination and critique of contemporary theories concerning the schooling of African Americans. (Former course AAS 140.)(Letter.)GE credit: DD, SS.Effective: 2011 Fall Quarter.

AAS133—The Black Family In America(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing or consent of instructor.Analysis of social science research to examine relationship between black (African-descent) family structures, patterns of functioning, and political, economic, and social conditions in the U.S.(Letter.)GE credit: ACGH, DD, SS.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS141—Psychology of the African American Experience(3)Review all entriesHistorical

Lecture—2 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 010; or Consent of Instructor.Introduction to the psychological issues faced by African Americans. Analysis of issues from European/Western and Afrocentric frame of reference. Emphasis on Optimal Theory, a psychological theory based on an Afrocentric world view.(Letter.)Effective: 1997 Winter Quarter.

AAS141—Psychology of the African American Experience(4)Review all entriesActive

Discussion—1 hour(s); Lecture—3 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 010; or Consent of Instructor. Upper division status.Introduction to the psychological issues faced by African Americans. Description of any disparities in mental health care experienced by African American and Diaspora populations in the United States. Analysis of issues from European/Western and Afrocentric frame of reference. Emphasis on Optimal Theory, a psychological theory based on an Afrocentric world view.(Letter.)Effective: 2019 Winter Quarter.

AAS145A—Black Social and Political Thought(4)Active

Lecture—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 010 or AAS 080; or Consent of Instructor.Exploration and analysis of Black social and political thought in the Americas.(Letter.)GE credit: SS.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

Lecture—2 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s); Term Paper.Prerequisite(s):AAS 010 or AAS 012 or AAS 018; Upper division standing.Recurrence of cultural tropes in the works of major black world authors and formation of an African-oriented canon. Principal activities include critical reading and discovery of literature as a cultural resource.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, WC, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS153—African Literature(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Term Paper.Prerequisite(s):Completion of Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).Colonial and post-colonial sub-Saharan African literature and the African oral traditions from which it emerged. Genres and themes of African literature from the nineteenth century to the present.(Same course as COM 154.)(Letter.)GE credit: AH, WC, WE.Effective: 2012 Spring Quarter.

AAS155A—African-American Dance and Culture in the United States, Brazil and the Caribbean(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Comparative study of the African American dance forms in the U.S.A.,
Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad. Examination of ritual, folk, and popular dance forms and the socio/historical factors that have influenced these forms.(Same course as DRA 155A.)(Letter.)GE credit: AH, VL, WC.Effective: 2012 Fall Quarter.

AAS156—Language and Identity in Africa and the African Diaspora(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 012; Or upper division standing.Relationship between language and identity in literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. Use of pidgins, Creoles, translation from African languages and impact of language policies.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, WC.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS157—Literature and Society in South Africa(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing.Political and social developments in 20th-century South Africa as illustrated by a range of South African writing. Response of different writers to race relations, impact of government policy on types and context of writing.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, WC, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS160—African-American Folklore(4)Active

Lecture—2 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s); Fieldwork—3 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 010.Theory and history of African American folklore and folklife, including
music, material culture, oral narrative, proverbs, and humor. African and Caribbean cultural influences on New World folk genres will be probed.(Letter.)Effective: 1997 Winter Quarter.

AAS162—Islam in Africa and the Americas(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):RST 060 or AAS 012 or AAS 110.Comparative and historical survey of Islam in the regional and cultural settings of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, WC, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS163—African Religions in the Americas(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 010; AAS 015; or Consent of Instructor.Comparative study of African religious heritage in the Americas: Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba, U.S.A., Haiti, and Brazil. Emphasis on the origins and development of Candomble, Santeria, Shango, Vodun, and
Rastafarianism in the New World.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, WC, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS165—Afro-Christianity and the Black Church(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 010; AAS 015; or Consent of Instructor. Upper division standing.Examination of the historical role of Christian belief and practice as well as the institution of the Black Church in the experience of African Americans, from slavery to the present.(Letter.)GE credit: ACGH, DD, SS.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS168—Black Documentary: History and Practice(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Laboratory—5 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):FMS 001; AAS 170; and Consent of Instructor. AAS 050 recommended.Study of Black documentary history and understanding of the use of the documentary form for political purposes. A discussion of documentary theory. Each student, singly or in a team, will create and carefully edit a documentary project.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, VL, WC.Effective: 2011 Summer Session 1.

AAS169—History of African American Television(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 050 recommended.History of the representation of African Americans in television; how the representations reflect social and political forces in American society. Role of African Americans in actively shaping their representation.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, VL, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS170—African-American Film and Video(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Film Viewing—3 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):FMS 001; AAS 050 recommended.Comparative approach in the study of fictional film and video dealing with the African American experience drawing on film and cultural studies to examine and discuss selected works.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, VL, WE.Effective: 2011 Fall Quarter.

AAS171—Black African and Black European Film and Video(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—3 hour(s); Film Viewing—3 hour(s); Term Paper.Prerequisite(s):AAS 015 or AAS 050 or ENL 160 or ENL 162; or Consent of Instructor.Comparative approach in the study of dramatic films and videos that treat black life in Africa and Europe. Critical attention will focus on the imaginative construction of ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, and sexuality in each particular work.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, VL, WC.Effective: 2012 Spring Quarter.

AAS172—Diaspora and New Black Identities (4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—3 hour(s); Term Paper.Critical analysis about what it means to be Black/African American in the United States today. Topics include old and new diasporas, immigration, national origin, language, religion, class, education, politics, identity and cultural heritage. (Letter.)GE credit: ACGH, DD, SS, WE.Effective: 2011 Fall Quarter.

Lecture—2 hour(s); Laboratory—6 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 175A; and Consent of Instructor.Creation of documentary projects, with students working in production crews. (Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS176—The Politics of Resources(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 012 or AAS 110.Limited enrollment.Examination of the ways in which the processes of the extraction, purification and use of natural resources and the complex regimes of valuation and commodification they (re)produce lead to cooperation and conflict in contemporary Africa and beyond.(Letter.)GE credit: SS, WC.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS177—Politics of Life in Africa(4)Active

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).Existing (in)capacities in the structures of state and society in Africa for people to live well. Topics include institutions and practices that define state and civil society encounters in Africa; democracy, ethnicity, economic crisis, religion, citizenship, etc.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, SS, WC.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

Lecture/Discussion—4 hour(s).The social and political effects of racial and ethnic categorization in Latin America, including issues of economic production, citizenship, national belonging, and access to resources. Emphasis is on peoples of African, Indigenous, and Asian descent.(Letter.)GE credit: SS, WC, WE.Effective: 2012 Winter Quarter.

AAS181—Hip Hop in Urban America(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing or consent of instructor.Must have Junior or Senior level standing.History, aesthetics, urban context, and economics of hip-hop in the US, and its globalization. Hip-hop's four artistic elements-rap, deejaying, breakdance, and aerosol art-allow the examination of issues of race, ethnicity, and gender in youth culture and American society. (Letter.)GE credit: AH, DD, VL.Effective: 2012 Spring Quarter.

AAS182—Hip Hop Culture & Globalization(4)Active

Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):AAS 181 preferable, not required.Investigation of hip-hop youth cultures outside the United States using globalization and Cultural Studies theories. Analysis of international hip-hop sites in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East through reading, discussion, and visiting virtual sites.(Letter.)GE credit: AH, WC.Effective: 2014 Spring Quarter.

Lecture/Discussion—3 hour(s); Term Paper—1 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Upper division standing in African American and African Studies courses or consent of instructor.Intensive treatment of a special topic or problem in African or African Diaspora Studies. May be repeated once for credit when topic differs.May be repeated up to 1 Time(s) topic differs.(Letter.)Effective: 1997 Winter Quarter.

AAS192—Internship in African-American and African Studies(1-8)Active

Internship—3-24 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Consent of Instructor. Completion of 12 units of upper division study in African American and African Studies courses; upper division standing.Restricted to African American and African Studies majors and minors.Supervised internship in community, government, or private institutions, in all subject areas offered by the African American and African Studies Program.May be repeated up to 12 Unit(s).(P/NP grading only.)Effective: 1997 Winter Quarter.

AAS197T—Tutoring in Afro-American Studies(1-5)Active

Tutorial—1-5 hour(s).Prerequisite(s):Consent of major committee; upper division standing with major in African American and African Studies.Leading of small voluntary discussion groups affiliated with one of the department's regular courses.May be repeated up to 6 Unit(s).(P/NP grading only.)Effective: 1997 Winter Quarter.

Seminar—3 hour(s); Term Paper.Prerequisite(s):Graduate standing.Introduction to the history and current organization of African Studies as area of intellectual investigation. Offers students an opportunity to review research agenda and policy implications, debates, crises, and institutional frameworks surrounding the production of knowledge about Africa.(Letter.)Effective: 2006 Spring Quarter.

AAS203—Critical Foundations in African Diaspora Studies(4)Active

Seminar—3 hour(s); Term Paper.Integrative conceptual framework includes History, Geography, Political Economy, Culture, Aesthetics as tools to investigate the African Diaspora. Students engage African Diaspora theories within their research projects understanding issues developing from the movement of Africans to the rest of the world.(Letter.)Effective: 2007 Fall Quarter.

AAS204—Methodologies in African American and African Studies(4)Active

Seminar—3 hour(s); Term Paper.Relationship between theory and methodology, with emphasis on identifying relevant methodological approaches and constructing theoretically informed research projects for studying the experience of people of African descent whether on the African continent or in the rest of the world. (Letter.)Effective: 2006 Fall Quarter.

AAS298A—Directed Group Study in African American and African Diaspora Studies(1-5)Active